THE STORY OF NORVELT

Thursday, March 22 @ 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Norvelt, the small New Deal community in Westmoreland County shares a common history with the Millvale Murals: both were created during the Great Depression at a time of despair and hopelessness. And both offered those who experienced them a sense of hope, a vision of a more just and equal world, and a path forward.

The Millvale Murals and Norvelt have other aspects in common as well. Maxo Vanka and many of the original settlers in Norvelt were from Croatia or other parts of Eastern Europe. They were Catholic, and many of them had been miners. What both Norvelt and the murals demonstrate is that through faith, commitment, solidarity, and plain hard work, people can create beauty, new and better lives, and a more just society.